<p>Yeah, Stanford definitely is awesome, and its my favorite school too (which is why I’m definitely still excited to go there). Its just, statistically, not everyone who wants to get into Stanford will get in. I’m just saying people (parents, ourselves, society) tend to put too much emphasis on this (I know I did), and they think its a life and death matter to get into a specific school, when its not. Life goes on, and even though people tend to just focus on their favorite school, you can still be happy at another. I don’t know if this is right, but since Harvard has the highest yield rate, most people who apply to elite school have Harvard as their ultimate goal (Personally, I cant even comprehend who would want to go to that school) and since Harvard accepts like 10%ish, there are a lot of people that are upset with their decisions, but nobody ever kills themselves over not getting into a college, and I know people who go to UC Davis that are smarter than the average Harvard student. So, I dunno, even if Stanford is your first choice, I’m sure there are many other schools that you would be very happy at, I think I would’ve been excited to just go to a good UC. I mean, I didn’t choose to go to my high school, middle school, etc. and I don’t think I would be much happier if I had bothered to research potential high schools/prep schools to go to and got into my favorite ones.</p>
<p>check out my countdown
<a href=“http://www.MakeACountdown.com?id=233604[/url]”>http://www.MakeACountdown.com?id=233604</a></p>
<p>
I’m here! Sorry, busy week before Thanksgiving =/</p>
<p>I think the range is from apathetic to healthy spirit. I have a professor who did his undergrad at Berkeley, and when he mentioned that on the first day, only a few people hissed, and he had to prod us to do so =p Whether Berkeley or Stanford is better doesn’t seem to be something that most people care to argue about; for me, I think Stanford is a better school overall, but there are certainly people out there who prefer Berkeley and will learn more there, and that’s cool. Maybe I’m being too optimistic, but perhaps that’s one of the reasons there isn’t a humongous rivalry =] I have not encountered a situation in which a Stanford person met a Cal person and said, “Yuck, you’re from Cal? What’s your problem?” As far as I’ve seen, there’s respect, and not a baseless rivalry for the heck of it. Maybe some other current students or alumni can correct me.</p>
<p>Pyleela is right in that the rivalry peaks around the Big Game… anti-Cal propaganda starts cropping up. My personal favorite is a T-shirt that says:</p>
<p>“I have one more testicle than Cal.”
-Lance Armstrong</p>
<p>Boo-yeah. Who’s good?</p>
<p>Or maybe it’s just b/c I’ve seen the atmosphere at both schools…<strong>shrug</strong></p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>HAHAHAHAH. <3</p>
<p>I didn’t know Lance Armstrong went to Stanford. You learn something new everyday. :)</p>
<p>I don’t think he did. The shirt isn’t saying anything about Stanford… it just says that Cal has no balls =]</p>
<p>Heh, that is funny. (testicle comment)</p>
<p>Good point, Bearsandbruins. This really shouldn’t turn into a ‘whether or not brand name college will greatly influence your future life’-thread, but it does help to take a step back and look at the big picture.</p>
<p>Yeah, thats basically all I tried to say, just wanted to give a reason why, b/c otherwise its just hot air b/c I’m going to Stanford. On another note, one of my friends who’s a senior at Stanford has a t-shirt that says Cal and has the Berkeley symbol on the front and on the back says “Because we couldn’t spell Stanford.” I have to get one of those, or at least something similar, like “Because not everybody can get into Stanford.”</p>
<p>to get your minds off of December 15th, what are you guys doing for Thanksgiving weekened? Me… I am off to Hong Kong lol woot 17 hour plane flight.</p>
<p>Choboking: Are you from Hong Kong? If so, cool cuz my parents are too!</p>
<p>I will be working with the debate team!!! Wooootttt…I’m actually looking forward to this. Our first competitions are on Dec. 1 and Dec. 9. 
Sooo excited…!</p>
<p>yes julyinoh, i am from Hong Kong too! lol. i am really looking forward to the food there. and above all, i might be able to get a ps3 
before it comes out in the United States. i just have to see how much money i have left lol.</p>
<p>How long is your Thanksgiving break Choboking? Ours is only a week…I would never be satisfied in spending only a few days in India (hence the month-long summer trips every 2 years…which still aren’t enough…).</p>
<p>I think the ps3s coming out in a few days, but you can get it for cheaper there for sure. Although, I think consoles are only cool if you can mod them (like the xbox/ps2), paying 50/60 dollars for a game i won’t really play isn’t my cup of tea. Paying like 50-100 dollars to store 100’s-1000’s of games I wont really play is, though. I’ve gone to India before, I like the food, and the auto rickshaws. Haven’t gone recently though, I heard the big cities are getting really modernized now.</p>
<p>Are you sure they’re cheaper? I thought most imported electronics are more expensive there… just the stuff that is made there is cheaper…</p>
<p>Hey pyleela, my first debate competitions are on the 1st and 9th as well. I wonder if we’re competing in the same thing.</p>
<p>MorsVenit: Are you in We the People? Hahahaha…that’s so weird…it’s not really that popular in CA…</p>
<p>BearsandBruins: big cities? modernized? no matter how modernized they get, it’s going to take <em>years</em> before they lose all the poverty and congestion and pollution. As much as I adore India, it seems as though the “moderized” thing is hurting it a lot more than anything else. “The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.”</p>
<p>Well for me, the next two weeks are only exams (my second term exams started two days back), so I’ve a fun time ahead! :)</p>
<p>Ah, I didn’t know that, my bad.</p>